Storage device



Jan; 13, 1942.-

H. J. JoHNsoN STORAGE DEVICE 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 30, 1939INVENTOR. EN/em .10m/.50N BY l mama. A

4A AORNEKV Patented Jan. 13, 1942 s' are fr orgies 2,269,940 A STORAGEDEVICE- Henry J. Johnson, North Arlington, N. J. I

Application January 30, 1939, Serial No. 253,589

(Cl. S12-113) 2 Claims.

My invention relates to storagel devices, more particularly to suchdevices for storing household utilityv equipment` and like material,althrough suitable for storingY clothes, foods, medcines and the like-In smaller homes and apartments storage space is at a premium andsuitable places to store utility devices such as mops, brooms, dustpans, cleaning material and the like are not available. In theusualcloset arrangement much space isv Wasted immediately behind the door`While' racks and hangershave been secured directly to the backsv ofdoors these devices are unsightly, are in the way, and form dangerousprojections, and because they fail in most eases to securely support theutility implements in rigid` relationship with the support the utilityequipment often interferes with the closing and opening of the door. Inother cases the door is located too close to the closet shelves which`prevents the placing of supporting devices on the inside of the door.Placing the racks and hangers on the outside of the doors also providesthe same objections as when these devices are placed on the inside ofthe doors. Again where no closet space is provided in smaller rooms, noyplace is available to hang devices of the kind inquestion. In the usualarrangement of racks, hangers, hooks and the like these supportingelements are not easily moved to support different sizes or shapes ofutility equipment. and cannot be rearranged to more readily accommodateequipment being stored. v

The principal object of my invention is to provide an improved storagedevice particularly suitable for storing household utility equipment andlike material, although suitable for storing clothes and the like.

Another object of my invention is to provide such an improved storagedevice which can be secured to the front or back of doors or to the wallof a room and which can hold articles firmly in place and provide apleasing appearance While at the same time form a closed compartment forconcealing the equipment being supported.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved storage devicein which the supporting elements may be shifted in the storage device topermit accommodation of different size and shapes of utility implements.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an adjustable storagedevice capable of being accommodated on different size doors and capableof being supported to open from either side.

These and other objects will appear hereinafter.

The novel features which I believe to be char.- acteristic of myinvention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims, butthe invention itself will best be understood by reference to thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsin which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a storage device madeaccording to my invention in open position, Figure 2 is a verticalsection of the storage device with the hinged portion. removed andshowing details of construction, Figure 3 is ahorizontal section takenalong the line 3-3 of the storage device with the device in closedposition, and Figure 4 shows details of the supporting clip element.

Referring to Figure 1, it will` be seen that my improved storage devicevis in the form of an elongated open box-like structure comprising' apair of telescoping members lll and Il having beaded ends l2 and I3 intowhich the end Walls I4 and l5 of the member Il slide. The part Il isprovided preferably with a` hinged side I6 having a lip Il which can besecured to a supporting member, such for example as the door I8. Themember I0 is provided with a side I9 having a boss 20' formed thereinwhich cooperates with a spring latch 2l secured to the door I8 to lockthe storage device against the door in storage position as best shown inFigure 3. Other suitable locking means could of course be provided formaintaining the storage devicein closed position. When in closedposition the storage device forms withv the supporting means a closedcompartment. To permit expansion andcon.- traction of the storage devicemade according to my invention to t different size doors, nuts and bolts22 carried by the member lll register with and extend through the slots23 in the member Il. When the members l0 and I'I have been adjusted toprovide the proper width these bolts can be, tightened to lock the twomembers together. Other means for locking the two sections could also beprovided, for example a series of apertures in the end walls of bothmembers through which pins could be extended to lock the parts inposition.

Removable supports on the inside of member Il are supporting springclips 24 as best shown in Figure 4. Member Il is provided with aplurality of struck-up loops 25 through which the extensions 26 of theclips 24 are inserted. These right angle extensions slide into theloops, the clips being made wider to prevent movement of the clipagainst the loop when the clips are engaged in supporting utilityequipment. Other struck-up loops 25, which may be placed at varyingdistances apart to provide longer or shorter distances between each ofthe spring clips, are provided at other desirable positions or suitableplaces on the member Il to permit changing the position of the clips toaccommodate diierent size and shapes of utility implements. 'Ihesestruck-up portions eliminate the necessity of any extensions through themember or any nuts and bolts for retaining the clips in position andpermit a smooth close iit of the members IIJ and Il. While thesupporting clips are adjustable they may be secured permanently bywelding. Also other supporting means such as shelves could be providedinstead of the clips.

To provide a storage bin a pair of telescoping bin plates 21 and 28 aresupported at the lower end of the storage device, the member 21 beingprovided with a bead 29, these two plate members cooperating as bestshown iny Figure 2. As shown in this gure. beaded edge I3 is providedwith an inwardly extending lip I 3 contacting the lower edges andsupporting the bin plates 21 and 28, the raised lip l31 preventing theplates from being sprung outwardly when material is placed in the bin.These plate members are provided with inwardly extending lips 3D and 3|by means of which the plates are secured to the sides I9 and I6preferably by nuts and bolts 32 and 33 extending through suitableapertures in side members.

By rotating the door through 180 the lip l1 of the hinge member I6 canbe placed on the left hand side of the door as viewed in Figure 1 sothat the storage device opens from the other side. In this position thebin plates 21 and 28 are inserted in the portion of the storage devicewhich now forms the lower end, both ends of the storage device beingduplicates so as to receive the bin plates.

While various types of material can be used from which to form a devicemade according to my invention, light gauge metal pressed to shape ispreferable. Other material however can be used which is suitable forpressing, rolling or molding to shape, for example, plastics, bers,pressed wood, Bakelite and other materials.

It will thus be seen that my improved device provides all of theadvantages set forth in the objects of the invention. It presents apleasing appearance regardless of where mounted, supports all utilityequipment rmly in position and eliminates the hazards and objections ofthe conf ventional racks, hooks and the like. The struckup portions forthe clip members can be arranged in any desired position, thus makingthem suitable for supporting any type, shape or size of utilityimplement.

While I have indicated the preferred embodiments of my invention ofwhich I am now aware and have also indicated only one specificapplication for which my invention may be employed, it will be apparentthat my invention is by no means limited to the exact forms illustratedor the use indicated, but that many variations may be made in theparticular structure used and the purpose for which it is employedwithout departing from the scope of my invention as set forth in theappended claims.

What I claim as new is:

1. A storage device for providing with a supporting surface a closedcompartment, said device including a pair of elongated telescopingmembers forming an open box-like container, each end wall of one of saidtelescoping members being provided with a bead having a lip extendinginwardly of the box-like container and at right angles thereto, the edgeof the end Wall of the other telescoping member` extending into thespace between the end wall of the one member andthe bead lip, and a pairof movable telescoping plate members secured to one end and at the openside of the boxlike container and contacting along one edge with andresting on the adjacent bead lip for providing a bin at one end of thebox-like container, one side of one telescoping member being providedwith a hinge along its entire length and a lip on said hinge forsecuring the elongated telescoping members to the supporting surface sothat the open side of said device will close against the supportingsurface to provide with said surface a closed compartment.

2. A storage devicey for providing with a supporting surface a closedcompartment, said device including a pair of telescoping membersproviding an open box-like container, each end wall of one of saidmembers being provided at the open side of said box-like container witha bead having a lip, said lip extending inwardly of the box-likecontainer and at right angles to thereto, the edge of the end wall ofthe other telescoping member extending into the space between the endwall of the one telescoping member and the bea-d lip and a pair ofremovable telescoping plate members removably secured to one end and onthe open side of the box-like container and contacting along one edgewith and resting on the lip portion of the bead of said one of saidtelescoping members to provide a bin at one end of the box-likecontainer, said pair of telescoping plate members being receivable ateither end of the said storage device whereby the' storage device may beinverted end for end, and a single hinge extending along the length ofone of the telescoping members to pivotally support the box-likecontainer against a supporting wall.

HENRY J. JOHNSON.

